The survey asked respondents to share their views on both medical and
recreational marijuana use. The results showed that 78 percent of
Americans believe that medical marijuana should be legalized, an opinion
that was found less frequently with ascending age. However, just 43
percent of respondents said recreational marijuana use should be legal.
Overall, 91 percent of Americans believe there should be age
restrictions on recreational marijuana use, and 51 percent there should
be age restrictions for medicinal purposes.

When asked about their most significant concern when it comes to
marijuana use, respondents most frequently cited the impairment of the
user’s senses (22.2 percent). Addiction (15.5 percent) and fear of
marijuana acting as a “gateway drug” – or a drug that leads to other
drug use – (12.1 percent) were the next highest concerns, followed by
access by minors (8.1 percent), and abuse (6.1).

“Surprisingly, there is relatively little science about the long term
health effects of the use of this drug, so physicians lack solid
evidence to help decide whether or when to prescribe it,” said Michael
Taylor, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Truven Health Analytics. “As
opinions continue to evolve on the subject, it will be interesting to
see if an upward trend in the clinical utilization of marijuana emerges.”

The Truven Health Analytics-NPR Health Poll is powered by the Truven
Health PULSE® Healthcare Survey, the nation’s largest and
longest-running independently funded, nationally representative
telephone poll that collects information about health-related behaviors
and attitudes and healthcare utilization from 82,000 US households
annually. Survey questions are developed in conjunction with NPR. The
figures in this month's poll are based on 3,010 participants interviewed
from March 4-17, 2014. The margin of error is 1.8 percent.

About Truven Health Analytics

At Truven
Health Analytics we are dedicated to delivering the answers our
clients need to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs. We are a
healthcare analytics company with robust, widely-respected data assets
and advanced analytic expertise that have served the global healthcare
industry for more than 30 years. These combine with our unique
perspective from across the entire healthcare industry to give
hospitals, clinicians, employers, health plans, government agencies,
life sciences researchers, and policymakers the confidence they need to
make the right decisions, right now, every time. With our
healthcare-specific expertise and tools for managing complex and
disparate data, we understand how to implement and integrate tailored
analytics that drive improvement.

Truven Health Analytics owns some of the most trusted brands in
healthcare, such as Micromedex, ActionOI, 100 Top Hospitals, MarketScan,
and Advantage Suite. Truven has its principal offices in Ann Arbor,
Mich.; Chicago; and Denver. For more information, please visit http://truvenhealth.com.

About NPR

NPR is an award-winning, multimedia news organization and an influential
force in American life. In collaboration with more than 900 independent
public radio stations nationwide, NPR strives to create a more informed
public - one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and
appreciation of events, ideas and cultures.